More than
300,000
young people have taken part in the Festival
Our flagship project is the Festival - the world’s largest youth drama festival.
About our impact
Playful Spaces
Playful Spaces is an inspiring, one-day learning event run by Coram Shakespeare Schools for teachers, facilitators and theatre makers working with young people in rehearsal rooms. It is open to participants at every stage of their directing journey and welcomes fresh perspectives alongside established practice and it is free for teachers taking part in the Shakespeare Schools Festival. Rooted in inclusive practice, Playful Spaces invites participants to rediscover the power of play, curiosity, and collaboration through a series of discrete masterclasses drawing on Coram Shakespeare Schools's 20 years of Professional Learning experience and led by industry specialists. Hosted in theatres nationwide, the event offers rich opportunities to experiment, reflect, and connect—bringing people together to share ideas, build networks, and learn from one another.
Participants leave feeling energised, confident, and equipped with inclusive, creative strategies to shape rehearsal spaces where every young person can find their voice, belong, and thrive.
Format: In person | One-day event
Audience: All Teacher Directors
Time: 9:00am-5:30pm
Dates & Locations: (for Autumn and Spring cohorts)
An inspiring day of masterclasses, networking and reflection, helping you create inclusive rehearsal spaces where every young person can thrive.
👉 Booking required — sign up early to secure your place
Audience: All Teacher Directors
Time: 9:00am-5:30pm
Dates & Locations: (for Autumn and Spring cohorts)
- Contact Theatre, Manchester – 6th October
- Northern Stage, Newcastle – 7th October
- Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – 12th October
- Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London – 13th October
- Rose Theatre, Kingston Upon Thames - 4th December
Amy Leach
Leading a masterclass in Playful Spaces: Manchester
Amy is an award-winning freelance Theatre Director based in Leeds. Between 2017 and 2025 she was first Associate Director and then Deputy Artistic Director of Leeds Playhouse where she has directed extensively including productions of Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, Lord of the Flies and the Olivier-nominated Animal Farm. As a freelance director, Amy has worked with a range of theatres and organisations across the UK including Theatre Royal Stratford East, Nottingham Playhouse, Hull Truck, Sherman Theatre Cardiff, National Theatre Wales, National Theatre Studio, Wales Millennium Centre, Unicorn London, Dukes Theatre Lancaster, Oldham Coliseum, Library Theatre Manchester, Royal Exchange, Manchester, National Youth Theatre and Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival. She is a proud Board member of Ramps on the Moon, and a passionate advocate for and champion of creatively accessible theatre.
Leading a masterclass in Playful Spaces: Manchester
Amy is an award-winning freelance Theatre Director based in Leeds. Between 2017 and 2025 she was first Associate Director and then Deputy Artistic Director of Leeds Playhouse where she has directed extensively including productions of Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, Lord of the Flies and the Olivier-nominated Animal Farm. As a freelance director, Amy has worked with a range of theatres and organisations across the UK including Theatre Royal Stratford East, Nottingham Playhouse, Hull Truck, Sherman Theatre Cardiff, National Theatre Wales, National Theatre Studio, Wales Millennium Centre, Unicorn London, Dukes Theatre Lancaster, Oldham Coliseum, Library Theatre Manchester, Royal Exchange, Manchester, National Youth Theatre and Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival. She is a proud Board member of Ramps on the Moon, and a passionate advocate for and champion of creatively accessible theatre.
Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Running a workshop at all five locations
Their workshop aims to give participants effective tools so they feel confident in using scenography and mise-en-scène as powerful and accessible storytelling aids. The workshop is led by an experienced performance maker/designer from the Production & Design department at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. The workshop leader will be joined at each session by a high-calibre Designer or Director to deliver aligned professional development opportunities. At the heart of the workshop will be a design approach that uses materials and spaces available at source (for example, the school kitchen) to create unique and enriching design-led performances.
Running a workshop at all five locations
Their workshop aims to give participants effective tools so they feel confident in using scenography and mise-en-scène as powerful and accessible storytelling aids. The workshop is led by an experienced performance maker/designer from the Production & Design department at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. The workshop leader will be joined at each session by a high-calibre Designer or Director to deliver aligned professional development opportunities. At the heart of the workshop will be a design approach that uses materials and spaces available at source (for example, the school kitchen) to create unique and enriching design-led performances.
Maria Crocker
Running a workshop at Northern Stage
Maria is a working-class Northern theatre director and deviser based in Newcastle, specialising in new writing, musical theatre and adaptations. Her work spans regional theatre across the UK as well as major West End productions.
Maria’s recent directing credits include The Sorcerer’s Apprentice at Northern Stage, described by The Telegraph as “utterly compelling… with tremendous pace, humour and inventiveness”, and Dogs on the Metro at Live Theatre, praised for its “pitch-perfect direction and deeply human performances”. In August 2026, she will present a work in progress of new musical THE GAP as part of Shedinburgh’s Shed Originals development programme. Written by Victoria Gimby and Stuart Matthew Price, The Gap is a time-travelling love letter to the North East inspired by the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree, for which Maria serves as dramaturg, director and development lead. She is also directing ALL AT SEA, a new play by Alison Carr inspired by the notorious Canoe Man case for Stephen Joseph Theatre and Live Theatre.
She is a long-standing collaborator of internationally acclaimed director Rachel Chavkin, working as Associate Director in the UK. In 2023, Maria directed the West End revival of Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre, which was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Revival. She continues to oversee the production and casting. Her wider experience includes working with leading directors such as Jeremy Herrin, John Crowley, Amy Hodge, John Tiffany and Roger Michell.
Maria’s work has been staged at leading venues including Northern Stage, Live Theatre and Pilot Theatre, and featured in the British Council International Showcase. She has developed new theatre projects through workshops and readings with organisations such as the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), The Lowry, Shoreditch Town Hall and New Writing North.
She is currently developing new musicals with regional theatres, a new play by Alison Carr (Live Theatre and Stephen Joseph Theatre), a devised project for ARC Stockton and Cambridge Junction, and a new pantomime at Durham Gala Theatre.
Maria trained through Headlong Origins and the National Theatre Studio, and is a recipient of the Michael Grandage Futures bursary. She was also runner-up for the RTST Sir Peter Hall Directing Award.
Running a workshop at Northern Stage
Maria is a working-class Northern theatre director and deviser based in Newcastle, specialising in new writing, musical theatre and adaptations. Her work spans regional theatre across the UK as well as major West End productions.
Maria’s recent directing credits include The Sorcerer’s Apprentice at Northern Stage, described by The Telegraph as “utterly compelling… with tremendous pace, humour and inventiveness”, and Dogs on the Metro at Live Theatre, praised for its “pitch-perfect direction and deeply human performances”. In August 2026, she will present a work in progress of new musical THE GAP as part of Shedinburgh’s Shed Originals development programme. Written by Victoria Gimby and Stuart Matthew Price, The Gap is a time-travelling love letter to the North East inspired by the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree, for which Maria serves as dramaturg, director and development lead. She is also directing ALL AT SEA, a new play by Alison Carr inspired by the notorious Canoe Man case for Stephen Joseph Theatre and Live Theatre.
She is a long-standing collaborator of internationally acclaimed director Rachel Chavkin, working as Associate Director in the UK. In 2023, Maria directed the West End revival of Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre, which was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Revival. She continues to oversee the production and casting. Her wider experience includes working with leading directors such as Jeremy Herrin, John Crowley, Amy Hodge, John Tiffany and Roger Michell.
Maria’s work has been staged at leading venues including Northern Stage, Live Theatre and Pilot Theatre, and featured in the British Council International Showcase. She has developed new theatre projects through workshops and readings with organisations such as the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), The Lowry, Shoreditch Town Hall and New Writing North.
She is currently developing new musicals with regional theatres, a new play by Alison Carr (Live Theatre and Stephen Joseph Theatre), a devised project for ARC Stockton and Cambridge Junction, and a new pantomime at Durham Gala Theatre.
Maria trained through Headlong Origins and the National Theatre Studio, and is a recipient of the Michael Grandage Futures bursary. She was also runner-up for the RTST Sir Peter Hall Directing Award.
Lynette Carr Armstrong
Running a workshop at Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith
Lynette Carr Armstrong has been an English (Drama and media) teacher and adviser for over 30 years. She has taught in a variety of London schools and worked in a number of local authorities (senior adviser), focusing on English, wider curriculum development, school improvement and assessment. Lynette currently works as an independent education consultant, collaborating with exam boards, schools, theatre in education, as well as devising materials for Lit in Colour, and co-writing two study guides for new texts on the GCSE syllabus for Nick Hern and Penguin.
About the workshop:
This workshop will explore ideas of masculinity, gender, power and identity examining the ways in which Shakespearean character archetypes, conflicts and ideas continue to resonate with theatre makers today.
Through practical exploration and discussion, participants will consider how Shakespeare constructs masculinity and how his characters challenge, reinforce or subvert expectations of gender and power. The workshop will also explore how these ideas can be brought into the classroom, creating opportunities for thoughtful conversations with students about complex and sometimes toxic behaviours in both male and female characters.
This session will draw connections between Shakespeare’s characters and Troy Maxson, the central figure in August Wilson’s seminal play Fences. Often described as “the Black Shakespeare”, Wilson offers a powerful lens through which to examine masculinity, power, relationships and expectations of gender. Alongside Troy, participants will explore characters including Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Iago, Claudio, Viola, Portia, Prospero and Julius Caesar, considering how each reinforces or challenges traditional ideas about behaviour and identity.
The workshop aims to give teachers both new perspectives on Shakespearean characters and practical strategies for bringing complex conversations about masculinity, gender and race into the classroom.
Running a workshop at Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith
Lynette Carr Armstrong has been an English (Drama and media) teacher and adviser for over 30 years. She has taught in a variety of London schools and worked in a number of local authorities (senior adviser), focusing on English, wider curriculum development, school improvement and assessment. Lynette currently works as an independent education consultant, collaborating with exam boards, schools, theatre in education, as well as devising materials for Lit in Colour, and co-writing two study guides for new texts on the GCSE syllabus for Nick Hern and Penguin.
About the workshop:
This workshop will explore ideas of masculinity, gender, power and identity examining the ways in which Shakespearean character archetypes, conflicts and ideas continue to resonate with theatre makers today.
Through practical exploration and discussion, participants will consider how Shakespeare constructs masculinity and how his characters challenge, reinforce or subvert expectations of gender and power. The workshop will also explore how these ideas can be brought into the classroom, creating opportunities for thoughtful conversations with students about complex and sometimes toxic behaviours in both male and female characters.
This session will draw connections between Shakespeare’s characters and Troy Maxson, the central figure in August Wilson’s seminal play Fences. Often described as “the Black Shakespeare”, Wilson offers a powerful lens through which to examine masculinity, power, relationships and expectations of gender. Alongside Troy, participants will explore characters including Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Iago, Claudio, Viola, Portia, Prospero and Julius Caesar, considering how each reinforces or challenges traditional ideas about behaviour and identity.
The workshop aims to give teachers both new perspectives on Shakespearean characters and practical strategies for bringing complex conversations about masculinity, gender and race into the classroom.
An inspiring day of masterclasses, networking and reflection, helping you create inclusive rehearsal spaces where every young person can thrive.
👉 Booking required — sign up early to secure your place
Coram Shakespeare Schools is a cultural education charity that exists to instil curiosity and empathy, aspiration and self-esteem, literacy and teamwork - giving young people the confidence to see that all the world is their stage.
Learn more about us
Shakespeare Schools Foundation
Telephone: 020 7601 1800